Quinn gambling veto could set up post-election horse trading on pensions

August 28, 2012|By Monique Garcia, Chicago Tribune reporter

Gov. Pat Quinn shakes hands with students at Longfellow Elementary School in Oak Park on Tuesday after a news conference in which he explained why he vetoed a gambling expansion bill. (Alex Garcia, Chicago Tribune)

Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed a major gambling expansion Tuesday, setting up a post-election session in which new casinos could be tied to reforms of the state's out-of-whack government worker retirement system.

Buried deep in his veto message to lawmakers, the Democratic governor said legislators should shift their focus from slot machines to what he called "the most pressing issue of our time" — pension reform.

For Quinn, a long-in-the-works gambling expansion provides potential leverage when the General Assembly returns to the Capitol at the end of November. If enough lawmakers want casinos and the promise of hundreds of millions of dollars to spend, Quinn could try to strike a deal in exchange for comprehensive cost-cutting to the state's struggling pension systems.

The governor has pressed for pension changes for months but has been unable to gain traction. Two weeks ago he summoned lawmakers back to Springfield for a one-day special session to take up reforms but suffered political embarrassment when he couldn't get even minor changes approved.

On Tuesday, Quinn would not say outright that he wants to link gambling expansion to pension reform. He cited ethical concerns and a failure to direct enough money to education as his primary reasons for vetoing the legislation. But he signaled that there is room for all parties to reach a consensus before a new batch of lawmakers is sworn in come January.

"I think there will be a lot of issues, particularly after the election, that we can all discuss, and I would hope that we can resolve everything," Quinn told reporters during an appearance at an Oak Park elementary school. "This whole issue of gambling, the issue of pension reform, getting a better budget … those are issues we will deal with this year."

Supporters of the gambling bill argued that the issues should not be connected, saying they are very complex and should be examined on their own merits.

"If he's trying to do that, he's got a problem," said Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat who sponsored the gambling expansion. "Do we need to correct pensions? Most definitely we do, but we need to correct pensions in a way that is a totally separate matter. I don't think gaming should be held hostage."

House sponsor Rep. Lou Lang said he believed Quinn's focus on pensions was a red herring.

"He wasn't going to sign the gaming bill in the first place," said Lang, D-Skokie. "He's using every excuse and every reason in the world to try to explain why he vetoed it."

The bill lawmakers approved last spring calls for new casinos in Chicago, southern Cook County, Lake County, Rockford and Danville. It also would allow slot machines at horse-racing tracks, which was a deal breaker for the governor when lawmakers approved a similar measure last year. That bill never made it to Quinn's desk after he threatened to veto it.

Nixing the latest gambling bill did not go over well at City Hall, as Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said Chicago could desperately use the money to fix aging infrastructure, including schools. On Tuesday, Emanuel issued a statement saying it's time to craft a gambling agreement to stop the flow of jobs and money from the city to casinos in northwest Indiana.

"I spoke with the governor this morning, and we agreed it cannot take another 20 years of discussion to draft and pass a bill that will be signed into law," Emanuel said. "I will continue to work relentlessly with all parties to pass a bill that will allow a Chicago casino to be built and implemented responsibly."

Quinn argued that the gambling bill sent to him would not provide enough oversight of casino operators, especially in Chicago. The governor also suggested it should include a ban on political donations from gambling interests to politicians, although it's questionable whether such a prohibition would pass a court challenge. The lack of those provisions amount to "loopholes for mobsters," Quinn said.

Sponsors say they will work to gather the votes needed to override the veto. It would take a three-fifths vote in both the House and Senate. That's no easy margin, even during the lame-duck session after the election when lawmakers who won't return to office are more likely to vote for controversial measures.

Powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, has predicted an override will not be successful. Supporters say that's just one opinion, but now it is shared by Quinn.

"I think what I did today in vetoing the gaming bill, that veto will be sustained, I don't have any doubt about it," Quinn said. "I think I did the right thing."